Tuesday, February 26, 2013

In honor of the fact it is national pistachio day here's a great vegetarian recipe using pistachios.

Risotto with Squash and Pistachios

Serves:
Prep: 8
15 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 1hr

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 cups finely chopped red onion (1 lg)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cups Arborio rice

4 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth, divided

4 cups roasted butternut squash

1 oz soft goat cheese

1/4 cups unsalted, dry roasted, shelled, chopped pistachios

1/4 cups fresh mint, thinly sliced

Directions1. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat and saute
onion 10 minutes until soft. Sprinkle with sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the
salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and saute 3 minutes longer until
browned.2. Add water and vinegar to pan and saute until all liquid has evaporated, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook 2 minutes.3. Add 1 cup of the broth and stir constantly until broth is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.4. Stir in squash and 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a
vigorous simmer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and
cook 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.5. Stir in remaining 1 cup broth and cook until rice is soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted, 1 minute longer.6. Remove from heat, mound onto serving plates, and sprinkle pistachios and mint over top.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

How very hard it is to lose a much loved pet.
No matter their size, they touch your heart and bring happiness and joy into your life.

We lost our youngest budgie Tiger-birdie yesterday to a chest mass (the vet said this).
There was nothing she said that could have been done to save him.
Though we rushed through freezing rain and driving snow to get him to the avian vet over an hour away from our home.

He brightened our lives, made us laugh and was a great companion to Lucy (the older parakeet).
He chattered through the bars of his cage, well protected, from Gracie (our dog) who would stand and watch his and Lucy's antics for hours.

He will be laid to rest with our beloved lovebird, Harley, in our gardens.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

From a health perspective, good science says the jury’s still out on
coffee drinking. But strong coffee and the spent grounds have a lot of
other uses. For example:
Cook with it.

You can use some of that leftover
morning coffee to add depth and complexity to almost any marinade,
gravy, sauce, frosting, or as as part of the liquid in a soup, stew,
fruit smoothie, or dessert. Add a tablespoon or two of freshly ground
coffee beans to a cake, cookie, or brownie batter (coffee has a special
affinity for chocolate). Look online for thousands of recipes that use
coffee.

Freeze leftover coffee for iced drinks or to thaw for cooking. Just pop into ice-cube trays and freeze.Then remove the cubes and store in a zippered plastic bag.

Use it in the garden. Coffee grounds have some
plant-supporting nutrients; research has found they offer some
protection against several plant diseases. Add to your compost pile,
stir them into topsoil, or sprinkle a light layer around plants. They
may help repel slugs and domestic cats from digging in your garden. Evenly disperse small seeds such as carrots, lettuce, and various herbs by mixing a few dried coffee grounds with the seeds before planting.

Bathing; Exfoliate, tone skin. Simply rub a handful of spent coffee grounds over
face and body. Add a bit of olive oil to the grounds for a smoother
finish. You can add a handful of coffee grounds to improve the results
from a facial scrub or hair conditioner.

Treat hair. For an instant shine, rub coffee
grounds through damp hair after shampooing, or add a few grounds to your
hair conditioner, then rinse. The coffee grounds will darken light
hair.

Darken hair or cover gray temporarily. Dip freshly
washed hair into a bowl of strong, dark coffee; squeeze out, use a cup
to pour coffee through hair repeatedly. Pin it up under a large plastic
bag for half an hour. Then rinse hair and dry as usual. For a more
dramatic coloring, make a thick paste of instant coffee or finely ground
beans with hot water and apply the paste to sections of hair. Pin up
under a large plastic bag for half an hour, then rinse.

Control wood-ash dust. Sprinkle the morning’s coffee grounds on ashes before scraping them from your stove or prepare to empty the ash pan.

Deodorize closets, car interiors, fridge, and microwave.
To remove stale or musty odors fill an empty butter tub with coffee
grounds, punch holes in the cover and set the tub in your closet, car,
or fridge. Alternatively, tie up a cup of spent or fresh coffee grounds
in a pantyhose leg and hang on a hook in a closet or pantry.

Hide scratches in dark wooden furniture. Use a Q Tip
dipped in strong black coffee to swab small scratches in dark-stained
wood. For larger areas, make a paste of finely-ground fresh beans or
instant coffee and a little hot brewed coffee, brush paste over area,
let dry, brush off excess.

Remove stubborn stains.
Use a wet coffee filter and a few spent grounds to scrub the stains
from ceramic coffee or tea cups. Sometimes a few coffee grounds and a
stiff scrub brush will clean up burned-on food or grease from pots and
pans.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Louis Riel Day in Canada Louis Riel Day celebrates the achievements and life of Louis Riel, a Canadian politician who was a leader of the Métis people.

Monday

Feb 18

Family Day in Canada The Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British
Columbia celebrate the importance of families on Family Day.

Monday

Feb 18

Islander Day in Canada Islander Day is a day off for many people in the province of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Monday

Feb 18

Daisy Gatson Bates Day in the USA Daisy Gatson Bates Day honors the life of Daisy Gatson Bates, a civil
rights activist who played a key role in an integration crisis at Little
Rock Central High School in 1957.

Monday

Feb 18

Presidents' Day (Washington's Birthday) in the USA Washington's Birthday, also known as Presidents' Day, is a federal
holiday held on the third Monday of February. The day honors presidents
of the United States, including George Washington, the USA's first
president.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Damping-off
is a term used for a variety of fungal problems that lead to sudden
seedling death. Beginners and experienced gardeners alike are
frustrated and disheartened when it strikes. The pathogens attack the
tender stems and roots of the seedlings. Some seedlings look pinched at
the base of the stem, others flop over, and some wither away entirely.
Once the process is underway, it’s hard to save even a few of your
plants. Prevention is the best cure.

Sterilizing your
seed starting mix reduces fungal spores and other troublemakers.
Commercial seed starting mix isn’t necessarily sterile, especially once
the bag has been opened. You
can sterilize potting mix in the oven, using pans or roasting bags with
a thermometer to monitor internal temperature. Heat the mix in a 200 degree (F) oven to an
internal temperature of 180-200 degrees (F) for 30 minutes. Baking
potting mix does have a certain odor that many people (or their spouses)
object to.

I like
using the microwave. I discovered the hard way that the potting mix
must be moist. Add 1 cup of water per quart or two of dry,
soil-less mix. Work out any lumps or chunks of compressed mix.
Additions such as moisture crystals, extra perlite, and time-release
fertilizer pellets can be mixed in before microwaving. Put the mix into a
microwave safe container with lid. I put my mix into a huge Tupperware
bowl that holds nearly 2 gallons, but any microwave safe container with a
lid will work.

Cover loosely, and microwave on high for 8 to 12
minutes, until you see steam condensing in droplets on the underside of
the lid. Close the lid tightly and allow the mix to steam at least 10
more minutes as the mix begins to cool. Steaming
the potting mix also seems to “open up” the peat moss or coir so it
absorbs water more readily. Although it won’t be strictly sterile once
you start fooling with it, unused mix can be sealed up for later use.Put
that sterile potting mix into clean planting containers. If you’re
reusing containers, clean them first with soapy water and bleach.Less water, more airWet
conditions can promote damping off. Don't overwater. Keeping your
potting mix barely moist rather than soggy is essential to healthy
seedlings. If you water from the top, water between rows of seedlings
and try not to drench the tops of the plants. Bottom watering seems to
help by keeping the soil surface a bit drier, also. Pour water into a
tray containing the seedling pots, and let them soak up as much as they
can through the holes in the bottom of the pots. After 15 minutes, pour off any excess so plants don't sit in water. Good
air circulation helps prevent damping off. I’m always tempted to cram
as many plants as possible onto my light shelves, but overcrowding
limits air flow. A fan placed near your plants helps to keep the air
moving.

Many
people recommend removing germination domes and other covers as soon as
seeds germinate or doing without covers altogether. I put lots of
little ventilation holes in the plastic domes for my trays. The holes
allow some air flow and keep the humidity from getting too high. I do
remove the domes once seedlings have several sturdy sets of leaves.Anti-fungal agents

Watering
or misting seedlings with an antifungal solution will also help protect
your seedlings. One tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide per quart of
water is sufficient. You can also brew strong chamomile tea and add an
ounce or two per quart of water.

A
one-time dusting of cinnamon or powdered charcoal on the soil surface
can also be used as an antifungal agent. Adding a top layer of chopped
sphagnum moss, sand, or chick grit may help discourage fungi from
growing on the surface of your potting mix.

Sterilize
your seed starting mix. Minimize wet conditions, and maximize air
flow. Add an anti-fungal agent to your water. These steps will go a
long way toward preventing the Dreaded Damping Off, and you’ll have
healthy seedlings to set out this spring!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Although
generations of gardeners, myself included, have started seeds on sunny windowsills, the
seedlings often end up tall and spindly. If you want flats of sturdy
seedlings, but you don’t have a greenhouse, a light shelf is the way to
go.

Sunny
windowsills aren’t really as bright as they look, compared to outdoor
sunshine. If you’re starting plants inside, artificial light is a big
help. You can purchase wonderful shelf units with expensive grow
lights, and they will certainly work. But you can get the same results
on a much more slender budget. Seedlings
don’t need full spectrum lights; the cool fluorescent tubes in a cheap
shop light are fine. A fixture with two 48 inch fluorescent tubes will
provide enough light for two standard nursery flats (1020 size) of
seedlings. It’s important to set up the light so that the height can be
adjusted to keep the light just an inch or two from the top leaves of the seedlings
as they grow. If you use a bookcase or storage shelf unit, you can
hang a light over a shelf on adjustable chains or ropes. Just hang the
fixture from the next shelf up (or from the ceiling for the top shelf).

The
fluorescent lights that most of us are used to seeing are T-12s, which
use 40 watts of electricity per 48 inch tube. There are some newer
fluorescent lights on the market now, and I especially like the slim 32
watt T-8 tubes. Their electronic ballasts don't flicker, making the
light seem brighter and cleaner to me. I also appreciate having just a
little extra clearance when my tomato seedlings start reaching for the
sky.If
you want the most bang for your buck, the 48 inch tubes and fixtures
are the most cost effective for the home grower. If your space is
limited, fluorescent tubes do come in other sizes. Fixtures that take
two 24” tubes should be easy to find and will provide enough light for a
single flat of plants. Fluorescent fixtures and tubes are manufactured
in a variety of sizes for the aquarium trade, but these can be costly
unless you find them secondhand. The cheapest solution is usually to
find a space where you can rig up a 48 inch shop light or two.

Your
seedlings need at least 12 hours of light each day. Some people have
good results running lights 24/7 for their seedlings. I usually run
my lights for 16 hours on, 8 hours off. Putting your lights on a timer
definitely simplifies things. Be sure to use a heavy duty timer that
will take a 3 pronged plug. Using that third prong to ground the
lights is important for electrical safety.By May, I usually have 20
to 24 flats of plants under lights in the bird room. That may be more
space than you care to devote to seed starting, but anybody can find
space to start a flat or two of plants. I’ve heard of people putting
flats on top of cabinets, raising them close to fluorescent office
lights by stacking bricks under them. My first light shelf was
set up in our utility room, over the washer and dryer.

Putting together shelves and hanging lights isn’t as exciting as playing in the dirt. But you’ll be so glad to have your seed starting space all set up and ready to go when it’s time to sow seeds. Clear
a space for a seed starting nook or a corner shelf, or make room for
an entire bank of seed starting shelves. Rig adjustable fluorescent
lights above each shelf, and put them on a timer. If
you can, make space for one or two extra flats of plants. Once you
start sowing and transplanting, your space will fill up faster than
you’d believe!